


Reading Room Romance

by misura



Category: Wallflower Series - Lisa Kleypas
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 23:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18883840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Reading is a wonderful way to broaden the mind and expand one's horizons." Daisy smiled.Cam realized that he would enjoy kissing her. Worse: he wanted her to admit thatsheenjoyed it.





	Reading Room Romance

Upon hearing that Evie had visitors, Cam had judged it best to make himself scarce. Not, he assured himself, that he had anything to be ashamed of or worried about.

He was simply very busy. St. Vincent had given him an important job to do, and Cam intended to ensure that nobody would be able to say that he wasn't capable of doing it. More than capable, in fact. He intended to show anyone who had doubted his ability that they had been wrong to do so. He would do the work, and do it well, and he would simply forget about -

"What are you doing here?"

Daisy Bowman turned around. She was holding several books. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

 _Getting yourself in trouble,_ Cam thought. Of course, she hadn't seemed especially troubled by their first meeting. He said nothing.

"This is a reading room, is it not?" Daisy went on. "I thought that I might have a look."

"You enjoy reading?" It seemed incongruous somehow. Girls who read were quiet. Girls who read sat by themselves in a corner, out of the way. Girls who read did not get cobwebs on their clothes when they went exploring hidden passages.

"I do." Daisy's tone dared him to comment.

Cam declined to rise to the bait. "Then I would say that you have certainly come to the right room."

"Yes. I rather thought so, too." Daisy turned and went back to perusing the somewhat dusty shelves. The reading room was one area St. Vincent had neglected thus far. Cam did not disapprove; few of their patrons, if any, had any interest in books.

"Have you found anything to your liking?" He should simply leave, Cam thought. Daisy was unaccompanied, true, but she should be safe enough in the reading room. _Assuming she stays there._ If she were to venture outside and meet with any unpleasantness, Cam knew that he would never forgive himself.

"Not much," Daisy admitted. "Can you recommend anything?"

 _I would recommend leaving now._ Surely she might as well do her reading elsewhere?

"I'm afraid that I'm not much of a reader myself," Cam said. It was not a complete lie. The type of books he enjoyed would hardly be suitable for an innocent young woman. In addition to that, he rather doubted any of them might be found in Jenner's reading room.

"You should try it sometimes. Reading is a wonderful way to broaden the mind and expand one's horizons." Daisy smiled. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks showed the smallest hint of a flush.

Cam realized that he would enjoy kissing her. Worse: he wanted her to admit that _she_ enjoyed it. As if their last meeting had not proven what a futile wish that was.

"I can think of other ways to accomplish those things," he said, smiling back at her. Cam knew that he had a good smile. A dangerous smile, not that he expected Daisy to heed the warning.

"Can you? Well, that is very clever of you, I'm sure." Daisy's tone suggested that in spite of her words, she wasn't all that impressed. "So what did you come in here for, if not to read?"

"I heard something," Cam lied smoothly. He knew that he had come here with a purpose, but right now, his mind drew a complete blank on what it might have been.

"I can't imagine what. It's not as if I'm throwing things around or anything."

"Perhaps my sixth sense told me you were here," Cam said. Not that he possessed any such sense. In spite of popular opinion, Cam had never seen any of his relatives predict the future, or curse someone by putting the evil eye on them.

"You know what I think? I think that you simply saw me when I went inside," Daisy declared. "Then you waited for a bit before following me inside, to make it look as if it was all a coincidence." She nodded to herself. "Yes. I bet that's how it went."

 _Then name your stakes, and I will be happy to claim your forfeit._ Of course, there was no way for him to prove the truth. Knowing that Daisy similarly was unable to prove her own theory was small comfort. "You sound very sure of yourself."

"Why shouldn't I?" Daisy sounded genuinely surprised. "Besides, you know very well that I am right. Not, of course, that I would expect you to admit it, so let's say no more about the matter."

Cam wondered if she was this high-handed with everyone. He found it hard to imagine Evie befriending someone like Daisy, or vice versa. And yet they _were_ friends. Clearly, there was more to Daisy Bowman than one suspected at first sight.

 _And clearly, I might do better to keep my distance._ One thing for St. Vincent to promote him to factotum; quite another to be flirting with a member of the American upper class.

"That is very generous of you. However can I repay such kindness?"

"Not by kissing me again, I can tell you that much," Daisy said quickly. A little too quickly, perhaps? "I didn't care all that much for it last time you did so. In fact, it made me quite nauseous."

Cam wondered if she was at all aware of the sort of effect such blithe statements might have on a man possessed of less confidence in his own abilities. He did not think that she was cruel or mean-tempered, or in the habit of belittling others. A bit thoughtless, yes. Somewhat oblivious.

"I seem to recall your saying that you felt nothing at all."

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings," Daisy said. "Naturally. And you did improve by the end. I wasn't lying about _that_. So, you see."

"You must be a very skilled teacher." Cam stepped forwards. There was plenty of room for Daisy to maneuver in the reading room and, of course, she might always exit the room and end the game thus. He would hardly pursue her out there - at least, not with the intent to try to get her to kiss him again.

 _This is not a good idea._ Cam wondered why, then, he felt not the least inclination to walk away. It would be easy enough. She was hardly likely to try and stop him.

"I must be, musn't I?" Daisy took a step back. "Thank you for pointing that out. I hadn't realized."

"Perhaps I might beg for the honor of another lesson?" Cam said.

"Well. Really." Daisy's cheeks showed just the faintest hint of red. Cam wondered if it was anger or some other emotion. With any other woman, he would have felt confident of knowing. "Here? Now?"

"Hardly anyone ever comes here. You need not worry about any interruptions."

"I - oh, very well," Daisy said. "If you are that desperate for instruction, I suppose that it would be rather churlish of me to refuse."

 _Try 'sensible'._ Not that Cam was in any position to throw stones.

"It's rather humbling, to realize all the women I have kissed before were only pretending they were enjoying themselves."

"Ah," said Daisy. "Yes. Have there been a great many of them, then?"

"A trade," Cam proposed. "I'll tell you how many there have been if you do the same. Clearly, there must have been at least some, to have made you into such an able instructor," he added, when Daisy opened her mouth with an indignant expression.

"That is hardly the sort of thing a gentleman would ask of a lady."

"I am not generally considered a gentleman," Cam pointed out.

Daisy surprised him by giggling. He thought he detected a hint of nervousness, but he also rather thought that part of her amusement was genuine. "Given that you were about to kiss me, I should think not."

"Actually, I believe the reverse was the case," Cam said. "It was you who was about to kiss me. As I am, after all, a student in need of improvement."

"That's true." Daisy looked disgruntled for a moment, then brightened. "Still, even if you are not a gentleman, I am most definitely a lady, and ladies do not go around kissing people. So there."

Cam leaned forwards just a bit. Daisy arched an eyebrow at him.

 _She could at least tell me 'no'. Or 'yes'._ Cam wasn't sure which one he'd prefer hearing right now. Or rather, he did know, but he also knew that if she told him 'no', it might spare both of them a great deal of trouble.

"You might want to get on with it," Daisy said. "I can grab a book, if you need a bit more time to - "

_Life with no trouble at all gets to be a bit boring, anyway._


End file.
